Do Not Misinterpret Study That Says Non-Drinkers Miss More Work

Another study on alcohol is another opportunity for misinterpretation. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Boss: "Why did you miss work?"

Employee: "Sorry I was not drinking enough alcohol."

Don't expect this to be a legitimate excuse for missing work anytime soon. But it may be easy to misinterpret the findings of a study recently published in the journal Addiction.

For the study, a team of researchers, led by Jenni Ervasti and Marianna Virtanenat from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, analyzed data from surveys asking 47,520 people from Finland (during the years 1998-2003, 2000–2002 and 2004), France (1993 and 1997), and the United Kingdom (1985–88 and 1991–94) about their alcohol use. The researchers also reviewed records on their sickness-related work absences for 4 to 7 years after each completed a survey and tried to see if there was a link between the amount of alcohol consumption and absences.

The findings? U may be surprised. The researchers found a U-shaped curve when they plotted the relationship between alcohol consumption and the likelihood of sickness-related absences from work. U-shaped because the highest likelihood of absences occurred among those who didn't drink alcohol and those who drank a lot with moderate alcohol drinkers having the lowest likelihood.

Compared to moderate moderate alcohol drinkers (defined in this case as women who reported drinking 1 to 11 units and men who reported drinking 1 to 34 units of alcohol per week), people who reported no alcohol use were more likely to have missed work due to mental health issues (51% more likely), musculoskeletal problems (22%), digestive disorders (35%), and respiratory diseases (49%). However, heavier drinkers (for women greater than 11 weekly units and for men greater than 34 units per week) were 44% more likely than moderate drinkers to have missed work due to injury or poisoning.

Could moderate drinkers have other habits that are different from teetotalers? (Photo: Shutterstock)

Oh, and in case you think a "unit" is a six-pack or a keg, it's approximately 8 grams of 10 ml of pure alcohol. As Kashmira Gander wrote for the Independent, this is about a "single measure of spirits (ABV 37.5%), half a pint of average-strength (4%) lager, two-thirds of a 125 ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine; half a 175 ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine; a third of a 250 ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine."

Does this mean that you should start drinking alcohol if you don't already do so? Does this study prove that drinking alcohol can somehow protect you against such health problems? As Darth Vader yelled in the Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith when he learned that Padme was dead (and some yelled when they watched that movie): noooooooooooo!!!!!

Repeat after me. Correlation does not mean causation. Correlation does not mean causation. Correlation does not mean causation.

Population cohort studies like this one cannot prove cause-and-effect. They can only show correlations and associations. Are teetotalers really more likely to have mental health issues, musculoskeletal problems, digestive disorders, or respiratory diseases? Or are those with mental health issues, musculoskeletal problems, digestive disorders, or respiratory diseases more likely to abstain from alcohol because of their medical issues? This study cannot separate these two possibilities.

Moreover, such studies can grossly simplify complex interactions. For example, could a lack of friends and social support really be driving some of these results? After all, someone with few friends and thus fewer party invitations may be both less likely to drink alcohol and more likely to get sick.

This study did not evaluate whether moderate drinkers were more likely to have more social interactions than non-drinkers. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Additionally, such studies tend to treat everyone the same when people in actuality are very diverse. Remember that 47,520 people are 47,520 different people, each with his or her own background, living conditions, experiences, brain, and body.

Yes, there is some evidence that moderate amounts of alcohol could potentially improve your circulation and metabolism such as raising your levels of your "good" cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL), increase your body's sensitivity to insulin, and improving factors (e.g., tissue type plasminogen activator, fibrinogen, clotting factor VII, and von Willebrand factor) that make your blood less likely to form small blood clots that could lead to strokes and heart attacks. Yes, many alcoholic drinks may have different nutrients such as wine having antioxidants and beer having riboflavin, thiamin, magnesium, and calcium. Yes, some amounts of alcohol may help you relax or facilitate social interactions (i.e., liquid courage.) Plus, some mixed drinks can have little umbrellas. Indeed, alcohol, when drunk in moderation, could have some benefits.

However, it is still not clear whether the benefits of moderate alcohol drinking outweigh the risks. More scientific studies are needed to confirm some of the possible benefits and better understand the risks of moderate alcohol drinking. (Science has already shown that heavier drinking is bad for you.) Keep in mind that just because something has benefits doesn't mean that you should do it. After all, wearing nothing but peanut butter to work could have some benefits. But few would recommend that you do so, because the negatives would outweigh the positives. If you don't drink alcohol, there's no reason to start.

I’ve been in the worlds of business, medicine, and global and public health. And these worlds are a lot more similar and different than you think. Currently, I am an Associate Professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Executive...